After Snow Wolf was hauled out, it lay motionless on the ground, its white fur soaked through, but its body temperature was alarmingly high—its skin beneath the fur flushed an unnatural red.
Serena was deeply worried and rushed to diagnose Snow Wolf. But as soon as she finished, she was stunned, staring at Snow Wolf for a long moment, unable to recover.
"What’s wrong?" Sean Xuan asked anxiously.
"This dumb wolf..." Serena pointed at Snow Wolf, her mouth twitching. "I don’t know what it ate, but it’s overdosed on supplements."
"Overdosed? Did it eat some of the herbs here?" Sean glanced around but didn’t see anything missing, and the herbs didn’t look like they’d been chewed by a wolf.
Snow Wolf was usually well-behaved—it hadn’t destroyed anything inside, nor damaged any of the herbs along the sides.
"It must have, but not just any ordinary herb." Serena patted Snow Wolf’s head. "After all this time, this silly wolf still eats anything it sees, without thinking if it can digest it."
This time it got lucky and ate something good—but if it had eaten something poisonous, it would’ve been a disaster.
Serena stood up, planning to first find out what Snow Wolf had eaten, then prescribe the right remedy.
"Come over here." Prince Nolan had already found the spot where Snow Wolf had been. Serena went over and found a small piece of Immortal Flesh Fungus (Taisui) left over from Snow Wolf’s feast. Pinching the soft, meat-like fungus, Serena’s face darkened. "It’s actually meat lingzhi. This dumb wolf has unbelievable luck."
Meat lingzhi!
Judging by the size of this pit, that meat lingzhi must have been huge. That dumb wolf actually ate the whole thing and didn’t even leave her a piece.
Aaaah... meat lingzhi, that once-in-a-lifetime, priceless medicinal treasure!
Snow Wolf, you really... wasted a heavenly gift!
"Meat lingzhi?" Prince Nolan and Sean Xuan weren’t familiar with the name, until Serena explained, "Taisui—the legendary immortality medicine."
"Immortal medicine Taisui? Are you saying... Snow Wolf ate the immortal Taisui?" At that, both Prince Nolan and Sean Xuan’s faces fell. The legendary medicine sought by generations of emperors had just been found by Snow Wolf—and devoured.
That feeling was seriously hard to swallow!
Even the Eighteen Riders stared wide-eyed, looking from Snow Wolf to Serena, and timidly asked, "Is there really such a thing as immortal medicine?"
Serena understood how they felt. Knowing Snow Wolf had eaten the entire Taisui, she was heartbroken too. Taisui was a true treasure, and you didn’t need to eat the whole thing—just slice off two pieces, soak them in water, and drink the infusion. Snow Wolf had really ruined something precious.
"Taisui does exist, but it’s not really an immortality drug—just something beneficial that can slow aging." Too bad, it was all gone now.
Sean Xuan shook his head and said, "No wonder so many people want to raid the Former Dynasty imperial mausoleum. Just the immortal medicine Taisui alone would drive the emperors of all four kingdoms mad." The pursuit of immortality is a temptation no ruler can resist.
"Taisui isn’t really an immortal medicine. Look at Snow Wolf—did eating a whole one turn it into an immortal wolf?" Although the effects of Taisui haven’t been fully explored, Serena knew it wasn’t as miraculous as legend claimed.
"That’s true." Once Serena said this, the Eighteen Riders calmed down at once. Prince Nolan and Sean Xuan, after their initial shock, were already composed. Like Serena, they just felt it was a pity—they weren’t actually chasing immortality.
What good is immortality, anyway? Didn’t those two people in the coffin, with Taisui right there, still choose to die together?
Sometimes, living alone isn’t much of a blessing.
"Will Snow Wolf be affected after eating the Taisui?" Sean Xuan saw Serena’s regret and tried to distract her.
For a doctor, Taisui would be incredibly valuable to study. But with Snow Wolf having eaten it, there was nothing Serena could do now, no matter how much she regretted it.
"It’s just over-supplemented. Letting out a little blood will fix it." Now that she knew it was Taisui, Serena wasn’t worried. Taisui was a wonderful thing, but not overpowering. Still, Serena decided Snow Wolf should give some blood.
"Today we get to benefit from Snow Wolf and enjoy something good."
Uh... Could it really mean what they’re thinking? Sean Xuan looked at Prince Nolan, who glanced at Snow Wolf and slowly nodded.
No surprises—it’s just as expected.
Sure enough, Serena stood up, stowed away the last piece of Taisui, brushed the dust off her hands, then pulled out a small knife and walked toward Snow Wolf.
"You’re going to let out its blood?" Sean Xuan followed, giving Snow Wolf a sympathetic glance.
Serena smiled. "Letting out a little blood will help it wake up faster—and it’ll give us a chance to benefit, too."
"Snow Wolf will cry." Sean could already imagine Snow Wolf acting pitiful once it found out.
"It’s for its own good. After eating a whole Taisui, who knows how long it would sleep before waking? Rather than waste the medicinal effect, we might as well share in it a little."
Sean Xuan secretly nudged Snow Wolf with his foot and found that, aside from breathing, Snow Wolf was as motionless as a dead wolf. He realized Serena was right.
Serena was precise with her technique. In Snow Wolf’s condition, letting out a little blood would help—it wouldn’t harm its body.
She drew four cups of blood from Snow Wolf in succession, and only then did its temperature drop a little. Serena patted its big head and stopped the bleeding.
At this point, Snow Wolf still hadn’t absorbed all the effects of the Taisui, so these four cups of blood were the most potent. Serena wasn’t stingy—she gave three cups to the Eighteen Riders. "You guys split them."
"M-Miss Serena, that’s a lot!" The Eighteen Riders were stunned. They knew they’d get a share of Snow Wolf’s blood, but they hadn’t expected so much. They thought one cup would be generous.
"Split it evenly—that’s about right. If you drink too much, you won’t be able to absorb it." Serena explained calmly, reminding the Eighteen Riders not to overdo it.
Snow Wolf was a spirit beast, so its blood was extraordinary to begin with. Now, infused with Taisui, just a sip could prolong life—even if it couldn’t grant eternal youth.
The Eighteen Riders wanted to refuse, but Prince Nolan spoke up coolly: "Take it, if it’s given."
"Yes, sir." Nolan’s words carried more weight than Serena’s. Serena could only look up at the sky in resignation...
The last cup of blood was clearly meant for Serena, Prince Nolan, and Sean Xuan to share. Serena poured herself a small sip, then divided the rest between Nolan and Sean.
"Good luck to us." Serena clinked glasses lightly with the two men, pinched her nose, and downed the blood.
Maybe it was all the time spent in the tomb, but lately Serena found the taste of blood revolting. Just the smell made her uncomfortable. If she hadn’t been so exhausted, and if meat lingzhi weren’t so precious, she wouldn’t have drunk it at all.
Sure enough, after swallowing the blood, Serena’s stomach churned. She had to gulp down several large cups of water just to settle herself, but her pallor was still worrying...
Everyone else, after drinking the wolf blood, was flushed and burning hot. Serena, on the other hand, looked even worse than before after her sip.
"What’s wrong?" Prince Nolan’s brows furrowed, his handsome face flushed but grim. Serena leaned against Snow Wolf and shook her head. "Same as Snow Wolf—too weak to absorb the tonic. I just need to rest. Don’t worry about me, I know my own limits. You should hurry and channel the power of the Taisui—don’t waste it. You can’t just get this stuff whenever you want."
Prince Nolan wanted to ask more, but a surge of heat rose from his abdomen. Not wanting to waste Serena’s kindness, he focused on absorbing the medicine’s power first...